2002 Chevrolet Avalanche Base Camp concept pops up on Cars & Bids

The life of a concept car is normally dull: after basking under the bright lights on the auto show circuit, it normally ends up stashed in a dusty warehouse for decades. Some manage to escape this fate, like the 2002 Chevrolet Avalanche Base Camp concept listed on Cars & Bids.

At first glance, we're merely looking at a run-of-the-mill first-generation Avalanche painted in a shade of yellow that wasn't all that uncommon in the early 2000s. This truck is far more special, however. It was built in the late 1990s (the Avalanche entered series production for the 2002 model year), this specific yellow wasn't found on the model's color palette, and it's equipped with numerous accessories added to grab the attention of outdoorsy buyers. The focus on leisure was part of what set the Avalanche apart from, say, the Silverado sold during that era.

Drop the tailgate and you'll find an integrated storage compartment with a stove, a cutting board, and a sink. There's also a storage cubby in each side of the cargo box for items like a lantern, plates, and cups. Some of the exterior trim pieces, including the brush guard, are specific to the concept, and the interior features two-tone upholstery as well as a yellow, center console-mounted Nokia phone — it doesn't get much more period-correct than this. The listing notes that a Coleman tent designed to be displayed next to the Base Camp is included as well.

What's under the hood is equally interesting. The concept was built with a 6.0-liter V8, an engine not offered on the regular-production truck. It's bolted to a four-speed automatic transmission. While the Base Camp runs, it hasn't been driven much and its odometer displays right under 2,000 miles. Finding an Avalanche with low miles has become nearly impossible, as a lot of these were driven often and driven hard.

On one hand, this is a time capsule; it's your once-in-a-lifetime chance to buy a lightly used Avalanche without figuring out how to build a time machine. On the other hand, it's a one-off concept. Should it really rack up 17,000 miles a year zig-zagging across the American West?

The person who wins this truck will get to decide its fate. As of writing, bidding stands at $11,000 with three days left in the auction. Note that, in this case, the Base Camp is in Canada, though we can't imagine registering it in the United States would be particularly problematic (especially since the buyer indicates it was originally titled in the States). If you win, don't expect the seller to hand over a set of keys: there's what looks like a standard ignition barrel but it wasn't designed to take a key.